Nurses and Separation Anxiety

Paper Summary:

Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is a serious matter that concerns children and their caretakers. This paper examines how pediatric nurses may be part of a child's treatment for SAD, while other nurses may need to address a child's disorder while treating the child or the child's parent. The paper argues that, for this reason, it is important for all nurses to be aware of SAD and how they can intervene when they encounter a child who requires intervention.

From the Paper:

"Symptoms and signs vary child to child. Signs of SAD may not be immediately recognized for what they are, especially in young children who lack the communicative abilities to express their fears (Pincus et al., 2005 Sometimes a child may become physically ill when separated from their loved one, resulting in vomiting, headache, stomachache or other ailments common of stress reactions (Fontain, 2003; Hillard, 2006). Children with SAD want their parent to stay with them at all times, even where impractical or illogical, such as at school or when sleeping (Hillard, 2006). The affected child might follow a parent at close distance, shadowing them as they go about other tasks. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Fontain, K.L. (2003). Mental Health Nursing (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
• Hillard, D. (2006). Course: Treating anxiety. Retrieved November 15, 2006, from Advance for Nurses Online: https://nursing.advanceweb.com/Common/CE/Content.aspx?CourseID=4&CreditID=1&CC=7816&sid=602
• Justus, R., Wyles, D., Wilson, J., Rode, D., Walther, V, & Lim-Sulit, N. (2006). Preparing children and families for surgery: Mount Sinai's multidisciplinary perspective. Pediatric Nursing, 32(1), 35-43. Retrieved Wednesday, November 15, 2006 from the EBSCO Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition database.
• Pincus, D.D., Eyberg, S.M., & Choate, M.L. (2005). Adapting parent-child interaction therapy for young children with separation anxiety disorder. Education and Treatment of Children, 28(2), 163-181. Retrieved Wednesday, November 15, 2006 from the EBSCO Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition database.
• Thomson. (2006). Separation anxiety disorder. Retreived November 15, 2006, from Healthtouch Online: http://www.healthtouch.com/bin/EContent_HT/cnoteShowLfts.asp?fname=02420&title=SEPARATION+ANXIETY+DISORDER+&cid=HTHLTH

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